In photographic processing of color photographic materials, a demand for reducing processing time has been increasing in order to cope with the recent demands for shortening the date of delivery of finished photographic materials and for reducing labor at laboratories. Reduction in processing time for each processing step has generally been achieved by increasing the processing temperature or increasing the rate of replenishment. In addition, many other approaches have been made, including enhanced stirring or use of various accelerators.
To speed up color development and/or to reduce replenishment rate, it is known to use a color photographic material containing a silver chloride emulsion in place of a silver bromide or silver iodide emulsion that has been widely employed. For example, International Publication WO 87-04534 discloses a method of rapidly developing a color photographic material containing a high silver chloride emulsion with a color developer containing substantially neither sulfite ion nor benzyl alcohol.
It has turned out, however, that development processing according to the above-described method, when carried out using an automatic developing machine, results in streaky fog. This phenomenon is considered to be the so-called in-liquid pressure sensitization streaking which is caused by pressure effect on scratches of the photographic material formed on contact with rollers, etc. in a development tank of an automatic developing machine.
It has also been proved that photographic characteristics, particularly gradation in the low density areas, vary during continuous processing, resulting in serious stain of the white background, a large amount of silver remaining after processing, and color impurity (especially yellow color).
Rapid development processing utilizing a high silver chloride color photographic material thus involves serious problems such as in-liquid pressure sensitization fog, variation in photographic characteristics, and an increase in residual silver, and a solution to these problems have been keenly desired.
In rapid development using a high silver chloride color photographic material, use of an organic antifoggant to thereby reduce variation of photographic characteristics (especially fog) through continuous processing as described in JP-A-58-95345 and JP-A-59-232342 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application") has been proposed. Nevertheless, the fog preventing effect attained has been proved insufficient for preventing in-liquid pressure sensitization streaks or an increase of minimum density accompanying continuous processing. Moreover, such an antifoggant, when used in a large quantity, rather causes a decrease in the maximum density and an increase in residual silver.
JP-A-61-70552 proposes a method for reducing the rate of developer replenishment, in which a high silver chloride color photographic material is development-processed while replenishing a development bath at such a rate that overflow does not occur. Further, JP-A-63-106655 discloses a method for assuring processing stability, in which a high silver chloride color photographic material is development-processed with a color developer containing a hydroxylamine compound and a chloride at or above a given concentration.
However, these methods were found to cause the above-described disadvantages, i.e., pressure sensitization streaks in automatic development, variation of photographic characteristics in continuous processing, and an increase in residual silver, and therefore did not prove to solve these problems.